Reading that the Ostwald Helgason Spring 2015 collection had "roots in designer Susanne Ostwald's years spent behind the wall in East Germany, a time of scarcity and intense longing for luxury and beauty" seemed to lay the groundwork for an austere and gloomy collection. But on the contrary, what followed was far more complex than a literal translation of longing, instead as explained in the show notes "the designers appropriate desire, an object's absence gives way to its recreation as those who crave it invent it from scratch... mundane things are cherished and presented in a way that becomes extraordinary. The Spring 2015 Ostwald Helgason collection imagines what the brand might look like if reinterpreted, resourcefully and mainly by hand, right down to the hand-drawn logo".
Sound like a fashion brain twister? It was, in the best possible way. With a notable homespun quality, that seemed to reject the idea of high end luxury goods made with a mechanical factory precision the collection erupted with human life, vitality and ingenuity from every angle.
All images: S. Whittle for Style Wylde.